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12 February PAE 84 - Rumblings of change push Texas closer to the brink!
Lantern News Agency - Austin While there have been no confirmations on any side, rumors are flying fast and furiously that the top structure in Texas may be changing. Rumor of potential changes have emboldened those who clashed with Duke Calder in the past . Earl MacFarlane, who has been the acting man in charge in Texas since Duke Calder's assassination two years ago has been absent from his duties for months recovering from wounds received in an assassination attempt in St. Louis. In his absence, the fragile situation in Texas has steadily degraded. While those in the Earl's cabinet as well as the former Duke's household have struggled to maintain control, things have worsened to the point of martial law being used to maintain order on numerous occasions. "The whole place is a powder keg that's ready to go off," said Texas Member of Parliament Marybeth Beauregard. "With the Earl out of the picture, people have been running roughshod over one another." Lord Blackwater, a leader of the Armaments Block in the Austin Parliament and long time Calder critic said, "That's what happens when you put trumped up enlisted men into a role they know nothing about. MacFarlane was a Sergeant and will always be a Sergeant. Not a drop of noble blood in him. Just like the pretender, Calder." The clashes between Duke Calder and the Armaments Block were legendary while he sat the throne and Lord Blackwater's comments set off yet another round of vicious personal attacks between members of the large Armaments Block coalition and the pro-Calder camp. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a high ranking official within the cabinet admitted, "Even the Army in Texas is split, muscle from bone, over what's happening. There is a feeling that something terrible is about to happen. What has been subtle jostling between opposing parties has suddenly grown into open hostility. There have been discussions about possible actions should generalized civil unrest break out." In not so many words, the cabinet insider admitted that the Dominion of Texas now stands on the brink of all out civil war. The threat of a widespread breakdown in the Dominion has people throughout British America holding their breath. And the ramifications of what's happening in Texas are being felt beyond the continent. Hanseatic League Ambassador to British America, Stefan Wutig expressed concern, saying, "Texas armaments production is critical to the ongoing war effort in the Mediterranean. Now that the effects of HRF have subsided, things are heating up again. The steady flow of arms and equipment from the Iron Triangle is vital." The Iron Triangle, consisting of Austin, Houston and Port Victoria is the largest producer of armaments and military equipment in British America, and is the third largest in the Empire. While King Edward has kept the British Empire out of the war against the Ottomans in the Mediterranean to prevent it from becoming a "World War", interruption of this critical production could threaten our allies fighting there. It could also threaten British interests in other areas such as the Khyber and Siam where our forces depend on the steady supply of materials to hold the borders of the Empire.